Log in to your Account

Bermuda Reverses Marriage Decision

Feb 9, 2018

The governor of Bermuda signed a law that reverses an earlier ruling and the nation will no longer recognize marriage between two people of the same sex. The law, known as the “Domestic Partnership Act 2017,” passed the legislature by a 2-1 margin in both the Bermuda House and Senate. It will allow domestic partnerships for same and opposite sex couples, but will no longer permit same-sex couples to be married. The Bermuda Supreme Court in May 2017 issued an opinion in favor of same-sex “marriage,” but that opinion was met by opposition.

The nation of Bermuda is overwhelmingly opposed to legalizing same-sex unions of any kind. In June 2016, there was a referendum vote in Bermuda with two questions: (1) if they were in favor of same-sex “marriages” and (2) if they were in favor of same-sex civil unions. Both were voted down overwhelmingly. The first question (marriage) lost by nearly 70 percent and the second (civil unions) lost by 63 percent. The referendum was non-binding because it fell short of the required 50 percent of registered voters by only three percent.